The Hollins Royals will take on the Pinellas Park Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hollins has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with three straight defeats, while Pinellas Park will come in with four straight wins.
Hollins came up short against Clearwater Central Catholic on Thursday, falling 11-1. The game marked the Royals' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Hollins saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ava Vargas, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Pinellas Park was able to grind out a solid victory over Tarpon Springs on Thursday, taking the game 6-3.
Ayanah Wilson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single walk in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Khloe Birk was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Sophie Sokolowski was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Pinellas Park kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Pinellas Park's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-6. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Hollins, their loss dropped their record down to 6-8.
Pinellas Park's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hollins has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.5 hits per game. It's a different story for Pinellas Park, though, as they've been averaging 9.4 hits. Given Hollins' sizable advantage in that area, the Patriots will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hollins took their win against Pinellas Park when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 13-2 score. Do the Royals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Patriots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
